These Are The Highest Paid Women In Music So Please Bow Down

On Monday, Forbes released a list of the top 10 highest-paid women in the music industry. To recap, 6/10 women were white and 4/10 were women of colour. It’s not exactly equal, but it’s definitely better than the list of highest-paid actresses.

Let’s dive in.

1. Taylor Swift: $185 million/ Dhs 679,505,000

It’s no surprise that Taylor is on this list. It seems like she is literally everywhere rn. She just released her 7th album ‘Lover’ and recently performed at the 2019 VMA’s. So she's definitely earning her pay check. Also, her Reputation tour grossed $266 million and she cashed in on a new nine-figure deal with Universal’s Republic Records. Not only is she the highest-paid woman in music, she is the highest-paid entertainer in the world.

Keep counting those coins sis!

2. Beyoncé : $81 million/ Dhs 297,513,000

I can’t believe Beyoncé is number two! The Queen is NEVER second place (except on a Forbes list apparently). A major part of her income is from her ‘On The Run II’ stadium tour with husband Jay-Z and her ‘Homecoming’ live album and Netflix special. I expect this figure will jump following the release of ‘TheLion King’ movie.

3. Rihanna: $62 million/Dhs 227,726,000

Rihanna has been in the news lately but it isn’t because of her music. In case you forgot, it’s been 3 years since her last album ‘Anti’ and her fans are asking for new music. Rihanna is now popular for her make-up brand Fenty Beauty, which actually brings in a majority of her earnings. In 2017, Rihanna partnered with luxury brand ‘LVMH’ to launch ‘Fenty Beauty’. Rihanna is quite skilled at converting her fans into consumers as ‘Fenty Beauty’ made $100 million in sales in the first 40 days. She also has a lingerie line ‘Savage X Fenty’ that is doing soooo well it, it just received $50 million in new funding.

I seriously need to get under her entrepreneurial umbrella!

4. Katy Perry: $57.5 million/Dhs 211,197,500

A bulk of Katy’s earnings actually come from touring. ‘Witness: The Tour’, which ran for 80 dates, grossed around $1 million a night. Additionally, she was paid $20-25 million for her appearance as a judge on ‘American Idol’.

5. P!nk: $57 million/Dhs 209,361,000

P!nk went on a world tour to promote her album ‘Beautiful Trauma’. She played 81 shows earning around $3 million per stop. She also released her 8th album 'Hurts 2B Human,' featuring artists like Khalid and Chris Stapleton.

6. Ariana Grande: $48 million/Dhs 176,304,000

Ari topped the charts with two albums ‘Sweetener’ and ‘Thank U, Next’ released within six months of each other. She also made $8 million for her performance at Coachella 2019. The singer launched her fourth perfume ‘Cloud’ in 2018 that made approximately $50 million.

7. Jennifer Lopez: $43 million/Dhs 157,939,000

J-Lo had a Las Vegas residency from January 2016 to September 2018. The residency grossed over $100 million. She reprised her role as a judge and executive producer for the third season of ‘World of Dance’. Furthermore, Jennifer starred alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Milo Ventimiglia in the 2018 film ‘Second Act’. Lastly, she launched a 70-piece makeup line with Inglot Cosmetics. Keeping up?

8. Lady Gaga: $39.5 million/Dhs 145,083,500

Gaga scored a lead role in the movie 'A Star Is Born,’ which grossed $434 million. She received a salary between $5-10 million. Moreover, she performed in Las Vegas residences and earned around $725,000 a night.

Damn, I envy her poker face!

9. Celine Dion: $37.5 million/Dhs 137,737,500

Most of her fortune has been made through lucrative Las Vegas residencies. From 2003 till June 2019, she’s performed 1000 times and made $400 million. Celine has sold over 220 million albums worldwide. Lastly, she is a spokesperson for L'Oreal Paris.

I guess her cheques will go onnnnn….

10. Shakira: $35 million/Dhs 128,555,000

Shakira received between $53 million and $100 million for various tours, along with $300 million for a ten-year deal with ’Live Nation’. Shakira also received over $660,000 for her role as a spokesperson for the Freixenet Christmas commercial and her annual salary for The Voice was $12 million.

It’s interesting to note that musicians today are earning A LOT more money in other avenues (like brand partnerships, movie/TV appearances, modelling, etc.) than simply recording and releasing music.

The ten highest-paid women earned a combined total of $645.5 million (Dhs 2,370,921,500)this year. That is very impressive but there is still a huge gender pay-gap in the music industry.

I would also like to point out that the Amazon is still burning and yet none of the celebrities on this list have stepped up to donate a few million. Please step up, gals.